Re: 15/2 vs 15/10/2 smaller venues

Here is a rundown of what I see as the advantages and disadvantages of using a 15/10/2 vs a 15/2 system:

The main overlooked issue has to do with the low mid or lows moving the 15" a lot. When the 15 is moving so much, the voice coils spend less time centered in the gap where the speaker is most efficient. The result is reduced intelligibility of midrange. When you divert the midrange frequencies to a separate driver (10"), the mids (main vocal frequencies) are able to be reproduced clearly, regardless of how hard the 15" is working.

That being said, it only really is an issue when you are driving the system hard.

So:

-15/10/2 costs more in cabs and power

-Usually has a higher max output

-Has an additional x-over point and the associated cost and issues

-May be a bit larger for a given 15" box tuning size.

All in all, if you are considering a 15/2 system, adding the 10 will give you a bit more output and a bit more clarity. Either way, a cheap or poorly designed 15/10/2 system can be easily outdone by a well designed 15/2 system.

To your second question, I believe the versatility of two 15/10/2 cabs would be better than 1 dual-15/dual-10/2 per side.

Dave Rat

: I'm trying to decide which way to go here. most of the clubs seat 300 or less. the music is country, so vocal intelligibility is the main consideration. 4 18's will handle the low end. i would like to know specifically what advantage, if any, the 10's would provide in this application. also for smaller venues would it be better to use single 15/single 10/ single two configurations, or double the 15's and 10's like your design. btw- running dedicated low end instruments of aux directly to the subs works fantastic...thanks.